‘Central Intelligence’ is released in Irish cinemas this week, and stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as former school friends who have not seen one another in 20 years. After Bob (Johnson) tracks down Calvin (Hart) through Facebook, he confesses that he works for the CIA and needs Calvin’s accounting skills to save the world.
To celebrate the release of ‘Central Intelligence’ in Irish cinemas, as well as our love for Dwayne Johnson, Movies.ie have gathered together 10 facts about the former WWE Superstar that you really ought to know.
1. Not So Humble Beginnings
Before becoming a movie star, Dwayne Johnson was better known as ‘The Rock’, while he worked with the WWE from 1996 to 2004. While with the WWE, ‘The Rock’ won 17 championship reigns in WWE, including 10 as a world champion, winning the WWF/WWE Championship eight times and the WCW/World Championship twice. Johnson won the Intercontinental Championship twice and the WWF Tag Team Championship five times. As well as all of this, Johnson is the sixth Triple Crown Champion in WWE history, and won the 2000 Royal Rumble. Basically, we would not like to get on his bad side.
2. Early Aspirations
Before he became a wrestler, Johnson had dreams of becoming a professional American Football player, however he was sidelined by an injury, so turned his eye to wrestling.
3. Book Smarts
Even though he lost out on his football career, Johnson used his full scholarship at the University of Miami to graduate with a degree in criminology and physiology.
4. Family Connection
Johnson’s grandfather Peter Favene Maivia was also a wrestler for the WWE – or WWWF as it was known at the time – and he also turned his hand to acting; he had a small role in the James Bond film ‘You Only Live Twice’. This connection means that since Johnson’s father Rocky was also a wrestler, he is one of the only third generation wrestlers the WWE has ever seen.
5. Record Breaker
Back in 2002, Johnson’s role in ‘The Scorpion King’ earned him a $5.5-million paycheck. This in turn earned him a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records, as his salary was the highest for any actor receiving top billing for the first time.
6. I am your Father
In a 1999 episode of ‘That 70s Show’ called “That Wrestling Show”, Johnson played a wrestler called Rocky Johnson; Rocky Johnson was his father’s name, so this means that Dwayne actually played his own father on TV.
7. Eyebrow
Throughout his career in the WWE and as an actor, Johnson is known for cheekily raising his eyebrow. The only other person whose eyebrow trick Johnson loves more than his own his Groucho Marx’s famous eyebrow wiggle.
8. Star Trek
In 2000, Johnson appeared in an episode of ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ as an alien wrestler called The Champion. Coincidentally, this character just happened to use all of The Rock’s signature moves!
9. Success
In 2013, Johnson was named the top-grossing actor of 2013 by Forbes; his films collectively earning over $1.3 billion at the box office worldwide.
10. When can I see ‘Central Intelligence’?
‘Central Intelligence’ is released in Irish cinemas on July 1st 2016. Watch the trailer below…